Houston school to reopen, $3 million spent to address air quality

Published 7:00 pm, Sunday, March 9, 2008

A Houston middle school is scheduled to reopen later this month, nearly six months after it closed because of air-quality concerns.

Key Middle School closed in late September after numerous staffers and students complained of ailments since school began Aug. 27. The school is expected to undergo another round of air-quality tests this week. If clean, students will return to school on March 26, school district officials said Monday.

The more than 600 students and staff from Key have been attending nearby Fleming Middle School.

The campus has received about $3 million worth of testing, cleaning and renovations since shutting down, officials said.

School officials initially resisted calls by the Houston Federation of Teachers to vacate the school. Tests by an independent contractor and city inspectors had not found unsafe levels of mold.

But teachers and students continued to complain of skin rashes, headaches and difficulty breathing.

In October, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the presence of mold at the school. The CDC report did not address whether the mold was unsafe or caused sickness.

The school has undergone extensive cleaning and renovations, according to district spokesman Terry Abbott.

"Crews removed asbestos, installed new anti-microbial carpeting, replaced ceiling tiles that were damaged by water, repaired the air conditioning system, pressure washed the building, and used bulldozers to change the grading of the land around the school building to improve drainage," Abbott said in a statement.

Key Principal Mable Caleb, who earlier had said her doctor ordered her to wear a surgical mask while at the school, said in a statement that the school's staff and students "are very elated and excited to return home … ."